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Starts

8 Sep 2025

Study mode

Full Time

Campus

Framwellgate Moor Campus

Duration

1 Year

Level

Level 3

Awarding body

AIM

Course code

ACHEF3004A01

Fee Information

Standard Fees of £5040.00

Advanced Learner Loan Fees of £3384.00

Please note, these prices are for the current academic year and may be subject to change for our courses starting in future years. Many of our students are eligible for financial support when studying at college, please see Fees and funding for more information.

Age 16-18

FREE (If meet residency criteria and not enrolled at another educational institution).

If you are aged 16, 17 or 18 on 31 August in the year you begin your course, not enrolled at another educational institution and have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years, your course will be FREE. Some courses will have other costs associated, such as for materials and trips.

Age 19+

If you are aged 19 or older on 31 August in the year you begin your course, not enrolled at another educational institution and have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years, your course could be free dependant on the level of the course and your eligibility criteria. The rules regarding fee reduction are complicated, we would encourage you to contact our Advice, Support and Careers Team on 0191 375 4400, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or connect on live chat (bottom right of your screen).

Student Finance

If you are aged 19 or over and not eligible to get your course free, you could apply for an Advanced Learner Loan from the Student Loans Company to help towards the cost of some, or all, of your fees. If the amount of Advanced Learner Loan available to you is less than the Advanced Learner Loan Fee for your course, you would need to pay the difference. See our Funding Your Study page for more information or visit the Student Loans Company website to find out more.

Course may be subject to change.

This course is aimed for people aged 19 years or over.

The Access to Higher Education diploma will allow you to gain the entry criteria for a range of Science based degrees, including Biomedical Science, Engineering, Physiological Science, Environmental Science, Pharmaceutical Science and degrees related to Economics.

Entry Criteria

GCSE English at 4+/C+. Functional Skills at Level 2 will also be accepted.

If you don't already hold English at this level, you can complete English alongside the Access diploma.

GCSE Maths 6/B. This must be completed before you start the Access to HE diploma.

What are the next steps?

You will be invited to meet the tutor. Please bring evidence of your relevant qualifications, including GCSE Maths, Science and English.

Study Aims

This course aims to provide you with the skills and entry qualifications needed to confidently, competently and successfully progress to study Higher Education.

Modules Studied

The course consists of graded and ungraded Diploma units. These include ungraded study skills units to ease you back into education and graded units including mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology.

Times of Delivery

10 hours a week over 2/3 days. Any times indicated are based on current courses and may be subject to change in future years. Full timetables will be confirmed prior to the start of the course. If English qualifications are needed, these will be timetabled separately.

Any times indicated are based on current courses and may be subject to change in future years. Full timetables will be confirmed at the start of each course.

Teaching and Assessment

You will study a total of 60 credits on the programme, taught in class. The course is taught by experienced lecturers, many who teach these subjects at A-Level or in Higher Education. You will be assessed through reports, in class assessments, practical experiments and presentations. You will also be expected to study independently - your lecturers will also suggest reading or research tasks or will set reading lists.

Maths and English

See entry requirements

What else?

We always receive excellent external moderation reports praising the quality of our Access to HE programme. Additionally national statistics show that students who study with us are twice as likely to receive distinction grades in Access to HE which puts them in an excellent position to gain a place on a higher education degree.